Hazelwood Cemetery

History

A hilltop site southwest of its earliest dwellings became Grinnell's cemetery when J.B. Grinnell donated 13 acres in 1854, the year he established the town. A hazelbrush thicket on the site gave it its name, Hazelwood. Otherwise, it was a barren and treeless area.

True to his foresight in establishing the town at the highest point between two rivers at a location destined to bring railroads, Grinnell chose another high point for the cemetery, one with a beautiful view across to the developing city. Families took plots in the cemetery and the highest spot on the hilltop is occupied by none other than the Grinnell family plot.